Grand Canyon midair crash site made national historic monument

The site of the 1956 Grand Canyon midair collision was listed as a National Historic Monument today, according to National Park Service officials. The aircraft collided in uncongested airspace at 21,000 feet over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 people on board the two planes. The crash caused both airliners -- a Trans World Airlines Super Constellation L-1049 and a United Airlines DC-7 -- to plummet vertically to the ground. Each had flight plans that should not have taken them over the area, an investigation eventually revealed. It was speculated that the two pilots were giving their passengers a scenic view of the national park...more